We’re very involved in the evolution of local advertising as it moves from traditional media to digital. Many times over we’ve seen the ROIs that easily make the case for adding digital to the mix but it takes a long time for marketers to change their behavior.
We’ve watched print newspaper readership and their advertising revenues decline and we’ve seen those dollars steadily move to the internet for local advertising.
Another indication of the revolutionary change that is taking place can be seen in the way print revenue is declining for printers.
I just read that commercial printing for October of this year is down 13% over last October as catalogs, brochures and direct mail continue their downward trends. Now, it’s still a sizable $7.7 billion but October hasn’t been this low since 1994. One of the leading voices for the print industry is Dr. Joe Webb from WhatTheyThink.com and I like his view on what is taking place and what printers need to do.
This is really good advice for anyone involved in traditional media. Change or become irrelevant. We have to quit thinking only about radio spots, ad slicks, brochures and direct mail. It’s time to add streaming video, ad banners, microsites, email and local search to the mix.